secret stairs #35

Hello, and welcome back after the long weekend. I have to confess I've been little off over the last three days and did not accomplish everything I wanted to--like hitting up my favorite beach in Malibu. Mostly I felt as grey and sluggish as the weather. Oh well, it happens sometimes.

One bright spot in my weekend was that I explored new a Secret Stairs walk. If you've been reading this blog, you know I'm a huge fan of the book, Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles by my friend Charles Fleming. It just happened to be Chaz's birthday on Sunday, so completing Walk #35 was nice little bit of harmonic convergence.

Chaz recently released his new book, Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the hidden Trails of Los Angeles. I--and my dog--are so excited about this! A whole new book filled with little-known places in the city to discover. Yea!



FYI--Walk #35 is a tour of the many spiritual sites in the Eastern part of the Hollywood Hills. It begins at Franklin and Vine, right alongside the 101 Freeway. First stop is the Vedanta Society, a meditation center and monastery founded by Swami Prabhavananda, a disciple of the Indian ascetic Ramakrishna.



It was actually my second time visiting the temple--the first was when I took Esotouric Bus Adventures' Maja's Mysteries Tour (all of their unique L.A. tours are highly recommended) led by my friend Maja the White Witch. If you've never caught one of Maja's Magic School lectures, covering different topics of the occult and magick arts, I recommend those, too. She hosts her series at another one of the Hill's spiritual sites, the Annie Besant Lodge on Beachwood Drive.

There's a lot of spiritual energy in them Hills. But I digress--let's continue with the walk. The main site on the walk is the Krotona Society, once a center for Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society, now a community of apartments. If you're subtle about it, you can go check out the tranquil courtyard with koi pond. It's a lovely oasis.

Another of my favorite sites on this walk is Hollymont Castle, the former mansion of Barbara Stanwyck, rumored to be haunted. It's now occupied by pianist Dexter Grey and surrounded by a bunch of funky statues. You will be mine one day, crazy haunted mansion. 

I passed more classic homes once owned Hollywood stars like Jeanette MacDonald and Hopalong Cassidy, along with the most stunning Moorcrest Estate, originally home to Mary Astor and Charlie Chaplin, now to Andy Samberg and Joanna Newsom.

Former home of the awesome Barbara Stanwyck, soon to be mine (insert evil laugh)

Driving home, I decided to wind through the Hills and discovered a new entrance to the Hollywood Reservoir off Deep Dell Place (well, new to me--there were lots of other people there). Really want to check this out some day. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in this part of the Hills.

It always amazes me that this is smack dab in the middle of the city

A couple more things to love:

This article on Russell the Cat who was horribly burned in a house fire and now provides love therapy to other animals at an Animal Emergency and Urgent Care Clinic captured my heart. Like 99.8% of the world's population, I am a sucker for different species of animals gettin' all snuggly with each other.

Photo via My Modern Metropolis

And since I've been remiss for the past couple of weeks, here's your Dog of the Week...it's Sandra Dee! Pretty Sandy is a one-year-old, 10-pound terrier/chihuahua mix. She's not yappy like most chis, but she's still in the play biting stage and will need a little training. She loves to eat and play and snuggle and is just fine in her crate. If you're interested in opening your home to this little love muffin, she's available to adopt at Dogs Without Borders today.

Photos (c) Dogs Without Borders

That's all for now, but I have lots more to share with you this week. Love, Lexa.

101.

moon.

thanksgiving.

Hello. It's Black Friday--truly the blackest day of the year. I loathe it, down to the deepest reaches of my soul. I hate that I actually contribute to it, working in the retail industry, even if my contribution is rather miniscule.

But the phenomenon of Black Friday that has exploded over the past couple of years has meant work, work, work all through this holiday week. I'm bound to my job and can't travel anywhere. No tragedy there, tough, as I find Thanksgiving to be barbaric and ridiculous. Hundreds of millions of turkeys are slaughtered. People settle back on their couches in food comas to watch large men in helmets pummel each other. And they pay exorbitant amounts of money to experience the hell of flying on the worst days of the year.

Combine it all with that horror that is Black Friday--and you can just count me out.

Isabel and Alfred. Alfred Coffee, that is.

But that all doesn't mean I can't kick back, relax, enjoy the day and give thanks in a way that's meaningful to me, so I'd like to show you how I did that this year.

First off, I went a little out of the way to pick up coffee at Alfred on Melrose Place. Gerry and I go there on Sunday after the Farmer's Market. Alfred serves Stumptown and is the perfect place to people watch, dog watch and write the Great American Screenplay.

Next, I finally started 1Q84, which my mom, my brother and I all gave to each other last Christmas. I am 40 pages in, and I am hooked! I hope I stay that way, because I have about 860 pages to go.

Then it was time to make my own little feast. It turned out to be a big one. It was nice to just spend an afternoon in the kitchen and not have to worry about anything else. The menu I decided on was:

Beet and Apple Soup

Wild Rice with Purple Kale and Radicchio

Roasted Cauliflower and Chick Peas with Harissa

Homemade Apple, Cranberry and Ginger Soda

The soda and the wild rice dish were my own recipes. Being from Minnesota, I'm a big fan of wild rice, and I love breaking it out when fall rolls around. The Beet and Apple Soup recipe I found at Epicurious and the Cauliflower and Chick Peas was from the delightful blog, familystyle food. I was excited to try harissa, and discovered that's not the easiest thing to find, especially the day before Thanksgiving. Bristol Farms and Whole Foods were both a no-go, so at the last minute (8 p.m. on Wednesday night), I called Monsieur Marcel in the Farmer's Market.

"Oh, we have it--five different kinds, in fact," Monsieur informed me. So yes, I did get in my car and drive to the Grove just to get my first taste of harissa, thank you very much.

Here are all the finished dishes--they all came out pretty well. Of course, I have beets splattered all over my kitchen, but that's the price you pay when...you cook with beets.

After dinner, we took a hike in the Hills. We made it back just before night fell.

Then we queued up a movie I really wanted to see when it was in the theaters, The Conjuring. You have no idea how excited I get to see a horror movie that's light on gore and big on a story. The Conjuring was just that, and it was both scary and satisfying. I can't remember being so riveted by a horror movie since I watched The Descent.

It featured some of my favorite actors--Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Lili Taylor--who killed it in the exorcism scene. I was surprise to discover this film was directed by James Wan, who wrote Saw, because it was nothing like that. No torture porn in sight, just a good old-fashioned ghost/Salem witch/exorcism story.

And so, filled with vegetables, fresh fall air and Lili Taylor's spinning head, I went to bed very satisfied and thankful for this day.

And this morning I woke to the colossal shitstorm that is Black Friday.

Thanks for reading..see you again soon!

this week.

I just wanted to mention that this past week was quite lovely. The temps started to drop; it really felt like fall has arrived. And just before Daylight Savings Time--imagine that. Here are a few happenings I thought were worth mentioning:

The Halloween decorations finally came out in the neighborhood. A little late this year--I have to admit I was a bit worried.

 
The one house that completely blew me away had the entire front yard decked out as an Edward Gorey's poem, The Evil Garden. Stanza for stanza, each accompanied by life-size cutouts.

"Alexa watches while her aunt 
Is pulled feet first inside a plant."

"The gorgeous flowers have a smell 
That causes one to feel unwell."

"Great-uncle Franz beside the lake 
Is being strangled by a snake."

--from The Evil Garden by Edward Gorey

A damp, wet fog settled in on Sunday morning, very San Francisco-esque. I found a new spot for hiking that I've wanted to check out: the Trebek Open Space, land that was bought and donated to the California parks system by Jeopardy's Alex Trebek. I stumbled on this area a few years ago when I first got Isabel and was looking for the Runyon's trailhead on Mulholland. I happily took a wrong turn and followed some dogwalkers through the space down to Wattles Garden.

The trailheads are pretty hidden for the Trebek Open Space. It's great because it means not a lot of people on the trail. But not a lot of people means more wild animals, too. In fact, a coyote ran right across the trail in front of me. If freaked me out for a second. Then I realized my dog wasn't with me, and I chilled.

 
I was very excited to attend a concert to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Disney Hall.

I was so bummed when I missed Salonen's farewell concerts when he departed the Philharmonic, especially the premiere of his Violin Concerto with Leila Josefowicz. How excited was I that they came back to perform it again?

It was a cool and mysterious, haunting concerto, and I loved every minute of it. Especially the part when the Josefowicz duetted with principal violist, Carrie Dennis.

I watched L'Avventura this weekend, and I felt like it was a rite of passage. I remember when I first learned about Blow-Up. I thought I was going to see this swingin' film about 60's Mod London, and a mystery to boot. Then it was not at all what I expected. I felt intimidated, because I didn't know what was going on.

I decided to just go ahead and watch the Criterion Collection issue with the commentary with film historian, Gene Youngblood. I know it's like watching the Cliff Notes version of a film, but it really helped to grasp the techniques of Antonioni's film making and his themes. I watched it slowly, but I was floored. I feel in love with Monica Vitti and her journey. She's a seeker, surrounded by bland, empty people who live only to fulfill their desires in bland, empty ways.

Now I want to watch La Notte and L'Eclisse, the two other films that complete Antonioni's trilogy of that era, then maybe return to Blow-Up and see I have a different experience with it. I like the idea of exploring one director's work at a time.

And the sunsets were off the hook this week! Check it out.

That's all. Halloween is here. Someone is excited!

Happy Halloween everyone, which by the way--at least here in L.A.--is celebrated through this weekend, aka Día de los Muertos, aka one of my favorite weekends of the year.

third street.

I'd like to take a moment to talk about a nice little stretch in L.A. that's chic--but not irritatingly so--lovely and perfectly walkable: Third Street. I'm sure I've mentioned it before in previous posts, but it's worth taking another stroll. WARNING: what follows is a very food-centric post.

Last week, I finally made it to Son of a Gun (it's on third street!).  I'd been wanting to go for so long. It's a "hot" restaurant right now, but I found it delightfully sleepy at lunchtime, and it didn't disappoint, like so many "hot" restaurants do.

The best lil' lobster roll in in Los Angeles.

In fact, I had the best lobster roll I've had since moving to L.A.--and that's saying something. I've tried a few pale (and very expensive) imitations, but nothing compares to what you can score in New England. Son of Gun's sandwich is only the size of a dinner roll, but it's also only $8, and that plus a salad was just right for lunch.

 Afterwards, I had to cross the street to check the good ol' Magnolia Bakery.

I remember visiting Magnolia once in NYC when it was just sparking the cupcake revolution, but I wasn't impressed. My cake was a big, dry, overrated mess. I'm happy to report this was not the case with the Third Street location. I hate to use the word "moist,"--because I hate the word "moist," (go ahead and Google "hate the word 'moist'")--so I'll say it was light, fluffy and delicious.

Third Street is dotted with restaurants and boutiques; walking the stretch from La Cienega to Fairfax makes for a lovely afternoon. Way back when I first visited L.A. in the late 90s while still living in Minnesota, I spent an evening at The Little Door followed by drinks at El Carmen. It was such a quintessential L.A. night out--the Moroccan/Spanish atmosphere of the Little Door, dining next to actors I couldn't quite name but knew I had seen on the big or small screen, the Mexican wrestling kitsch of El Carmen. I was smitten. Utterly seduced. I knew I absolutely I had to live here.

And I've never been back to The Little Door or El Carmen since.
 

But I do love the Little Next Door, which is much more laid-back than its counterpart, just like a little Parisian brasserie...or patisserie...or both?? I get them confused. But I do like to get breakfast after the Farmer's Market and watch all the people walk by.

And if you do find yourself strolling down Third Street, you have to pop in to Joan's on Third, which is like L.A.'s very own Dean and DeLuca.

My friend, Gerry, who lives just off 3rd Street, invited me over for brunch the other Sunday.

He lives in the classic L.A. screenwriter's pad, one of those beautiful Spanish-style apartment buildings that cover the Fairfax District and Mid-City. I never get tired of their charm.

Gerry's place was sunny, airy, filled with books and accented with vintage typewriters.

And a few sweet doggies running around--which always makes a pad a home.

Brunch was delicious--with everything from the farmer's market on Melrose Place, which is fast becoming one of my favorite, new places, and which we'll explore in an upcoming post.

Egg salad is a whole new experience when it's just eggs mashed 

with olive oil on a bed of arugula and topped with fresh figs.

Now that the weather has cooled down (just a little), I've been whipping up more than just gazpacho in my own little kitchen. I'm really enjoying flatbreads. So easy to make, a little lighter than a pizza and just as satisfying.

Flatbread topped with tomatoes, arugula, artichokes and goat cheese.

I also tried out a recipe given to me by my friend Kaiza. Polenta, it's nice to meet and eat you again.

1-2-3!

It's as easy as it looks in the photo. A simple tomato sauce with carmelized onions, pan-seared polenta, topped with wilted Swiss rainbow chard.

I've been really trying to get up into the Hills as much as I can before Daylight Savings Time. I cam across this super-cool dog statue standing guard outside some gloriously ostentatious mansion.

We see lots of cool things in the Hills. And we're heading up there right now.

Good night, Hollywood.

weekend.

Hello, hello. It was a great weekend--even though it was so damn hot. And although it's a bit of a trek, I made it my mission to get to the beach.

On the way, I stopped for water, fruit and poop bags. Was excited to see all of this on display.

Boo! Kidding. Just saying "hey."

Up past Malibu to Point Mugu. Since it was already crowded by 11, we went a little farther north, and came upon this little cove.



We played in the water for a bit, and then drove back south, where we found another of the "Coastal Access" signs that dot the PCH, and another cove. A few other people seemed to have the same idea, but mostly we had the beach to ourselves. So, I let Isabel off the leash, and she went completely bananas.

A private beach--such luxury!

Here she comes!

There she goes!

She always comes back.

Also, this past week, I was reading about a so-called "hidden beach" in Malibu called Lechuza Beach. I had to find it. I did.

Unbelievable. So beautiful and perfect, a public beach off a private road surrounded by chic Malibu beach houses and barely anyone on it, while just a few hundreds yards to the south, Zuma was swarming.

SPOILER ALERT: Here's a little-known fact--and a very useful one if you're ever in Malibu: there are no private beaches in California. They are all public property. The residents of Malibu will go to great length to make you believe otherwise (and I actually like them for this), but if you see a PRIVATE sign on a beach, just stomp right past it. The world is your oyster.

Shhhhhh.

 The only bummer about Lechuza Beach? No dogs allowed. Boo.

We drove back home to the sizzling Valley through Topanga Canyon--always an interesting place, a kind of hippie holdover nestled in the hills. There was this guy selling hot sauce out of the back of his truck by the side of the road. He had set up all kinds of signs leading up to it, which made me laugh. It's all very Topanga. Also--I really like hot sauce, so I stopped and bought some.

Habaneros, ghost peppers, jalapenos AND serranos. No joke.

I go to the Farmer's Market every Sunday. But this was the first time I shopped at Sur La Table and Marcel Marceau. I discovered that I like fancy food and cooking stores.

Shopping. Like a boss. A foodie-type boss.

Lately, I've really been into making homemade soda, and I needed some serious supplies.

Grapefruit Rosemary and Watermelon Ginger sodas. 

My other obsession this summer? Actually every summer--gazpacho. I can't get enough of it. I've tried it with watermelon, radishes and in the version you see below--pineapple.

Pineapple gazpacho at Sage Vegan Bistro.

My current version is my favorite. My secret weapons? Tomatillos and serrano chiles.

Both Saturday and Sunday ended with beautiful sunsets in the Hollywood Hills.

Sigh. It was a good weekend. See you soon!